The
trophy, which will be competed for annually and called "The Cherie Booth,
Q.C. Award", was presented by the prime minister's wife to its first recipient,
15-year-old Louise Macnab of Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen. The sole girl
in the squad, Louise last year became the youngest Scot to represent her country
at senior level, when she was selected to play for the Scottish Women's Team
in the Bled Olympiad.
Later in the day, after first watching the prime minister coming under pressure in the House over his constitutional changes at the last Cabinet reshuffle, the Youth Squad was in action as they took on the House of Commons in a chess match on the hallowed Terrace overlooking the Thames, in an attempt at a political double following their landslide 5-0 victory last year at the Scottish Parliament over the MSPs.
Despite losing 5-1, the MPs were a more formidable opposition than their Scottish counterparts and even had a few champions and a "ringer" amongst their line-up. Top board was the Argyle and Bute M.P. Alan Reid, a former internationalist who played for Scotland in the 1978 Chess Olympiad in Argentina; board two was their ringer Julian Farrand, the retired Pensions Ombudsman; and on board three Dr Evan Harris M.P., a former U-18 Liverpool champion.
On the terrace of the House of Commons
R. Younger-Ross und Louise Macnab (0-1)
Chris MacDonald v Teddy Taylor (1-0)
Alan Reid v Joe Redpath (draw)
Photos by George Clarke. More are available here...
Youth Squad 5-1 MPs
1 Joe Redpath draw Alan Reid M.P.; 2 Daniel McGowan draw Julian Farrand; 3 Steven
Tweedie 1-0 Evan Harris M.P; 4 Colin Hall 1-0 David Kidney M.P; 5 Christopher
Macdonald 1-0 Sir Teddy Taylor M.P; 6 Louise Macnab 1-0 Richard Younger-Ross
M.P.
J Redpath - A Reid M.P.
Youth Squad vs. Parliamentarians, Owen's Defence
1 d4 b6 2 e4 Bb7 3 Nd2 e6 4 Ngf3 c5 5 c3 Nf6 6 Bd3 Nc6 7 a3 d5 8 e5 Nd7 9 b4
a6 10 0-0 Be7 11 Bb2 c4 12 Bc2 b5 13 Qe2 a5 14 Rfb1 a4 15 Rf1 Qc7 16 Ne1 0-0-0
17 f4 g6 18 Ndf3 Kb8 19 Bb1 Ka8 20 Nc2 Rdf8 21 Ne3 Bd8 22 Bc1 Ne7 23 Bd2 Nf5
24 Be1 Nxe3 25 Qxe3 Nb6 26 Ra2 Nc8 27 Bh4 Bxh4 28 Nxh4 h5 29 Nf3 Ne7 30 Ng5
Nf5 31 Bxf5 gxf5 32 Raf2 Bc8 33 Rf3 f6 34 exf6 Rxf6 35 Rh3 Qg7 36 Rh4 Qg8 37
Qe5 Qd8 38 Rf3 Rg6 39 Rfh3 Rxg5 40 fxg5 Qxg5 41 Qf4 Qxf4 42 Rxf4 Bd7 43 Rfh4
Be8 44 Kf2 Kb7 45 Ke3 Kc6 46 Kf4 Kd6 47 Rg3 Bf7 48 Rg7 Ke7 49 Ke5 Rh6 50 h3
Rf6 51 Rxh5 f4 52 Rhg5 f3 53 gxf3 Rxf3 54 h4 Rxc3 55 h5 Re3+ 56 Kf4 Re4+ 57
Kf3 c3 58 Rg1 Rh4 59 Ke3 Rxh5 60 Rf1 Rf5 61 Rxf5 exf5 62 Kd3 Kf6 63 Rg1 Bg6
64 Kxc3 draw
